American Idol Returns!

“American Idol,” televisions No. 1 show for the past three seasons, returns with a two-night, four-hour premiere featuring outrageous new auditions and unbelievable talent. The search for the next singing superstar begins Tuesday, Jan. 16 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on Fox with auditions from Minneapolis and Wednesday, Jan. 17 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) with auditions from Seattle.

The search continues in upcoming weeks as “American Idol” travels to Los Angeles, San Antonio, Birmingham, Memphis and New York City. Episodes featuring the audition cities will air on four consecutive Tuesdays: Jan. 16 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) from Minneapolis, MN; Jan. 23 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) from Memphis, TN; Jan. 30 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) from Birmingham, AL; and Feb. 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) from Los Angeles, CA; and three Wednesdays: Jan. 17 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) from Seattle, WA; Jan. 24 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) from New York City, NY; and Jan. 31 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) from San Antonio, TX. For viewers craving still more of this seasons unforgettable auditions, a special Rest of the Best show will air Wednesday, Feb. 7 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

The lucky few who get the judges approval move on to the Hollywood Round, which will air Tuesday, Feb. 13 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) and Wednesday, Feb. 14 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). On Wednesday, Feb. 14, the Top 24 semifinalists 12 males and 12 females will be announced.

Then it will be up to America to decide who moves forward in the competition. The first performance show featuring the Top 12 male singers will air Tuesday, Feb. 20 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

The following night, Wednesday, Feb. 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), the Top 12 female singers will perform. A LIVE results show revealing Americas first vote of the season will air Thursday, Feb. 22 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), when the two male and two female contestants with the fewest votes will be sent home.

For the next two weeks, the males will perform on Tuesdays, the females on Wednesdays and the LIVE results show will air on Thursday nights. Thus, the Top 10 male singers will perform on Tuesday, Feb. 27 (8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) and the Top 8 male singers on Tuesday, March 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). The Top 10 female singers will perform on Wednesday, Feb. 28 (8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) and the Top 8 female singers battle it out on Wednesday, March 7 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). Four contestants, two males and two females, will be eliminated from the competition on the LIVE results shows airing Thursday, March 1 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) and Thursday, March 8 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). The Top 12 Finalists will be revealed on Thursday, March 8.

The competition heats up as the Top 12 Finalists take the stage for the first time together on Tuesday, March 13 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). One contestants journey will end as Americas vote is revealed on Wednesday, March 14 (9:00-9:30 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed).